GENDER-ED: Combatting Gender Stereotypes in Education and Career Guidance

The Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) is coordinating the project entitled: “GENDER-ED: Combatting gender stereotypes in education and career guidance“. The main aim of the project is to address the stereotyping of educational and career choices and to promote gender equality in education, training and career guidance. This will be achieved by attracting women into male-dominated sectors or occupations, and conversely to attract men into female-dominated sectors or occupations by challenging stereotypical assumptions about the roles of women and men in the labour market, including in leadership positions, and to change behaviours and practices that hamper equality.

Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (under the Ministry of Education) and the Department of Labour Relations (under the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance)

Romania: National Agency for Equal Opportunities (under Ministry of Labour), National Institute for Education Science (under Ministry of Education), School Inspectorate of Sibiu.

Lithuania: Siauliai University, Lithuania.

Italy: The City of Modena, City of Savignano, Istituto Comprensivo di Savignano sul Panaro

The main aim of this project is to deconstruct traditional and stereotypical attitudes and behaviours related to gender within the education system in the partner countries and ‘build’ new meanings to replace them, based on gender equality, in order to ensure that both girls and boys, women and men can benefit equally in relation to their access, integration, participation and advancement in the labour market.

Objectives:

Explore the role that schools, teachers and curricula play in terms of perpetuating gender stereotypical behaviours and expectations among girls and boys.

Identify the attitudes and beliefs of girls and boys on gender stereotypes in relation to their career choices.

Develop innovative pedagogical tools and materials for teachers and career guidance counsellors to combat gender stereotypes in the classroom.

Raise awareness on how gender stereotypes inform daily practices in the education setting among all those key actors who are involved: a) secondary school teachers B) in career guidance and mentoring.

Raise awareness and understanding among boys and girls on the ways in which gender stereotypes shape and influence the perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and personal choices;

Challenge gendered attitudes and behaviour patterns among girls and boys through a reflection process to renegotiate the way they see themselves and others beyond the ‘prohibitions’ and ‘restrictions’ associated with their gender

Widely spread policy recommendations and messages in relation to the eradication of gender stereotypes in education.

Activities:

Conduct a diagnostic study using quantitative and qualitative research tools in order to identify those attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate gender stereotypes.

Convene and co-ordinate Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) in each partner country.